The School District of Philadelphia (SDP), like many other urban school districts, struggles to increase its hiring and retention of experienced and highly qualified teachers in its low-performing/high-need schools. Excluding its charter schools, SDP serves approximately 165,000 students, largely from high-poverty (76%) and minority (85%)…

Describes a process and a structure that reduced absenteeism in an inner-city school. (DW)

The positions expressed reflect several perspectives on the university-urban district cooperative leadership program carried out by Pennsylvania State University and the Philadelphia school district. The statements are made by students now holding positions as high school assistant principal, elementary principal, elementary assistant principal,…

In this critique of elementary and secondary education in the United States, the first section discusses the history of the U.S. educational system and how the development of the schools' curricula and assessment programs have been adapted to the white, male, Eurocentric style of learning. The second section looks at inequalities in learning and…

Explores issues related to teaching music in an urban setting. Addresess issues such as budget problems, lack of support, and problems with teachers related to isolation and turnover. Focuses on recruiting minority teachers for urban schools. (CMK)

This report presents some statistics that reveal how students with disabilities appear to be faring and identifies some strategies that appear to result in desirable outcomes. Data were obtained from national studies and surveys from 1985 through 1998. Inclusion in typical education, training, and community experiences results in better transition…

Asserts that the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) serves as a beacon for "majority minorities" who seek a better life through the pursuit of educational opportunities in a large metropolitan setting. Discusses challenges facing LACCD, which is trying to cope with changing social and economic needs. Contains 10 references.…

Drawing on the experience of a program that trained adult international students as teachers for U.S. urban classrooms, this article explores ways to empower these teacher candidates in classrooms in which they are in a minority and how their contributions can educate the dominant culture as the text or teacher cannot. (SLD)

Argues that traditional methods of involving low-income minority parents in their children's education have not worked. Suggests ways to improve parent-teacher communication, understanding, and cooperation in urban schools. (MM)

Reviews and describes five core beliefs and seven organizational cultural characteristics of urban schools that are highly successful in educating low-socioeconomic status (low-SES) children of color. These factors are operationalized in a model called High Performance All Student Success (HiPass), which was developed by urban principals rather…

The Education Commission of the States presents an urban education policy framework that is guided by the firm conclusion that state and city leaders must develop a collaborative approach to improve the state and urban education system. Toward this end, the following recommendations are made: (1) raise the state's academic standards; (2) free up…

Issues pertinent to the positive and lasting reform of innercity school systems serving disadvantaged minority youth are explored in this paper. Current and past reforms to improve school effectiveness have dealt primarily with instructional deficiencies of the school. However, three clusters of problems must be addressed: institutional…

A new teacher education text stresses the primacy of urban problems. Also emphasized is a new direction in the training and recruitment of teachers for urban schools. Part I, "The Problem" contains chapters on urban and rural education, family structure and education, stupidity and ignorance, militancy and intelligence, and the teacher,…

This document presents a descriptive comparison of public education in Amsterdam, London, New York, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, and Toronto. These cities are alike in that in each population, money, power, and influence are concentrated. In all these cities a common educational problem has been to deal with the disproportionate number of the poor, recent…